The internet of things (IoT) stands out as a transformative technology that has significantly impacted various sectors, including last mile delivery (LMD). IoT has become an integral part of our daily existence, serving as a crucial resource for both individuals and businesses. This study has explored disruptive technologies with a focus on IoT, examining its applications and their profound effects on LMD. In our rapidly evolving world, technological advancements and their implementations often outpace our capacity to analyze and discuss them. While this study is grounded in the most recent research and findings, the rapid emergence of new disruptive technologies could challenge our current understanding. Despite these limitations, it is clear that IoT applications significantly enhance last mile delivery in various ways. For businesses looking to outperform their rivals, the implementation of effective LMD strategies is essential.
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Disruptive technologies have emerged as transformative forces that redefine how we perceive and interact with various industries. These technologies introduce novel techniques and specialties that, while promising, pose significant challenges to existing fields. They mark pivotal shifts in industry paradigms, either revolutionizing how businesses operate or rendering certain jobs obsolete. By creating new markets, these innovations bring forth values and paradigms distinct from mere technological enhancements, distinguishing disruptive technologies from their less revolutionary counterparts (Özkanlısoy & Akkartal, 2021).
The advent of disruptive technologies precipitates shifts in organizational hierarchies and sector dynamics, as the obsolescence of prior methodologies renders old skills redundant. The dual-edged sword of disruptive technology presents a stark reality: the threat of being overshadowed by emerging technologies versus the potential for securing competitive advantages through adaptation. Notable for their capacity to rapidly alter price-performance ratios against existing alternatives, these technologies often herald breakthroughs that catalyze swift and significant advancements or enable entirely new capabilities. Among the forefront of recent disruptive innovations is the Internet of Things (IoT), which, with an anticipated 16.7 billion active endpoints by 2023, redefines connectivity and data utilization across sectors (Koutroumpis & Lafond, 2018).
Focusing on the Internet of Things, its integration into various industries illustrates the profound impact of disruptive technologies. IoT's ability to transform everyday objects into data collection points revolutionizes operational efficiencies and service delivery, making it a cornerstone in the evolution of modern businesses. This is particularly evident in its applications within Last Mile Delivery, where IoT technologies enhance logistical operations and customer service. The subsequent chapters will delve deeper into IoT, exploring its role and applications in reshaping industry standards and practices, underscoring its significance as a disruptive force in today's technological landscape.
What Is Internet of Things (IoT)?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical devices, vehicles, appliances, and other objects with sensors and software that enables them to collect, exchange, and act on data. IoT allows everyday objects to communicate with each other and with central servers or cloud-based platforms, creating a broad ecosystem where devices can be monitored, controlled, and optimized in real time. All devices are communicating and sharing information based on related protocols to achieve smart reorganizations, tracing, positioning, ensuring safety and control and even personal real time online monitoring, process control, upgrade and administration (Abdelhadi & Akkartal, 2019). Today, we have numerous devices that are connected to the internet and gathering data all around the world.
The internet-based data architecture allows the exchange of services and goods between equipment and objects connected to the network. Therefore, IoT can be used in many sectors and industries, even in our daily lives. So, IoT can be seen as a real evolution of the Internet by adding more extensive interconnectivity, a better perception of the information and more comprehensive smart services (Mızrak, 2023a).
IoT has the great potential to bring advancements in efficiency, cost effectiveness, convenience, and sustainability to many fields and industries. However, IoT has challenges too and it often can create concerns related to data security and privacy. Regardless, IoT will have a great impact on our lives as of now and in the future. IoT will change the fundamental aspects of our lives by constructing the global infrastructure (Ramasamy & Kadry, 2021).